Newborn babies get 2 blood spot screenings early in life. The first screening happens in the first 48 hours after birth, and the second screening happens 2 weeks after birth.  

Newborn screening is important because it can help doctors find and treat congenital health conditions early enough to prevent serious complications. Congenital means a baby has the condition from birth.  

Since 1963, the Newborn Screening (NBS) program has performed millions of tests to find rare congenital conditions in babies.